1957-2007
This 50th anniversary of the first freshman class to commence Liberal Arts Honors studies at Providence College causes us to reflect on the continuing strength and success of a program that began under the guiding genius of Dr. Paul van K. Thomson in 1957 with 24 members of the Class of 1961.
Inspired by Columbia University's “Great Books,” the Liberal Arts Honors Program was birthed at the dawn of the space race. The international furor accompanying the Soviet’s launch of the Sputnik I satellite in October 1957 – barely one month after the first Honors seminar was held – confirmed that American higher education needed to find new ways to stimulate and engage the nation’s best and brightest young minds.
Above: Dr. Paul van K. Thomson
Providence College's commitment to that noble goal has remained undiminished. Nearly 1,800 Providence College undergraduates have pursued their studies as members of the Liberal Arts Honors Program. They are scholars at the nation’s top colleges and universities – including Providence College – lawyers, physicians, authors, journalists, business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals in many other realms. Most recently, freshmen Honors classes have averaged 125 students with a total program enrollment of over 450. In the last several years, Honors graduates have been the recipients of numerous prestigious awards for graduate study, including Fulbright, Jack Kent Cooke and Pisacano scholarships.